Chapter 22: Thunder Beast Core

Ye Liuyun's first time going out, he wasn't in any hurry to rush. All the way he kept holding a Wukong Stone in his hand, sensing Spatial Power.

When they stopped to rest, they would also cultivate for a while.

Liang Xue also rarely comes out to relax. Moreover, Ye Liuyun has no ulterior motives toward Liang Xue, so Liang Xue feels especially good being with Ye Liuyun.

Because Ye Liuyun lacks experience going out, he often makes absurd little mistakes, which makes Liang Xue find him very cute!

Ye Liuyun's attitude is good; when Liang Xue says something to him, he doesn't get angry, and he especially takes care of her, yielding in everything. This gives Liang Xue a feeling of being pampered, which she never felt at Wanbaoge.

For a while she becomes so delighted she doesn't want to return to Wanbaoge!

The journey was supposed to take two days, but they stubbornly walked five days before reaching Henglin Shanmai.

Upon entering the mountain range, towering trees blocked the sky, and the atmosphere instantly grew gloomy.

Distant beast roars made both of them tense. After all, in such a dangerous place, a single slip could be fatal.

They no longer chatted, but gripped their weapons and proceeded cautiously.

Though Ye Liuyun's realm is lower than Liang Xue's, he still releases his Divine Sense to scout ahead, showing the responsibility a man should have.

Liang Xue watches his back and feels a warm surge in her heart, feeling much safer.

Two days later, they passed the outer rim of Henglin Shanmai and continued deeper.

At this point Ye Liuyun's clothes are tattered. In the past two days he fought constantly, encountering many ferocious beasts below Body Refining Ninth Layer, all dealt with by him.

Liang Xue had no chance to act, just watched from the side.

Yet Ye Liuyun's progress surprised Liang Xue secretly.

In only two days, Ye Liuyun's Lingkong Art, Overlord Blade Technique, Thunderbolt Fist, and Star‑Plucking Hand have all risen from an unripe Minor Achievement level to Great Achievement level.

Moreover, his Soul and True Qi cultivation have not lagged these two days.

When not fighting, he walks while taking a Concentrating Spirit Pill. His Divine Sense now can detect a range of two hundred meters around him.

This is Mi Lin, vision blocked and unable to see far. He must constantly use Divine Sense to probe the environment. For the Soul, this counts as a strengthening training.

Under this high‑intensity training, the Soul improves especially fast.

When resting, he cultivates True Qi.

Before entering the deep part of Henglin Shanmai, Ye Liuyun swallowed a Gu Yuan Pill, opening a second Meridian. His True Qi now circulates more smoothly and swiftly.

Liang Xue feels his realm has reached the pinnacle of Body Refinement Sixth Level.

Transition from Body Refinement Sixth Level to Seventh Level is usually a major hurdle between mid‑ and late‑stage, many need at least a year to break through. Yet she sees Ye Liuyun's posture, seeming he will break through soon!

Moreover, Ye Liuyun's combat power also astonishes her. If he weren't training combat skills, beasts below Body Refining Ninth Layer would not survive a single encounter with him.

Those who can fight across two realms are geniuses among geniuses! Moreover he also cultivates Divine Sense.

Yet she thinks Ye Liuyun can at least fight across three realms.

She has seen many geniuses before, but Ye Liuyun must be a super‑genius. His realm advancement is as easy as eating and drinking, and learning is also rapid.

Ye Liuyun's comprehension and analytical abilities far exceed ordinary people.

As they go deeper, the beasts they now encounter are basically at Body Refining Ninth Layer.

Yet Ye Liuyun can still handle them alone.

As they walk, Ye Liuyun's expression suddenly becomes serious. He sheathes his sword and takes out a bow and arrow.

Liang Xue also feels many trees seem struck by lightning. Clearly the beasts in this area have lightning attribute.

Liang Xue is about to ask aloud, but Ye Liuyun makes a silencing gesture, making her even more curious.

This bow is called Ice Moon. It needs no physical arrows; it condenses True Qi into arrows, and the arrows carry a frost attribute.

He crouches, steps forward a few paces, then suddenly raises his hand and shoots at the canopy of a distant large tree.

"Ah!"

A scream comes; a Black-clothed Person falls from the tree.

Not far away, a black leopard of True Essence First Level leaps at the sudden cry, then quickly recovers and rushes toward the sound.

The Black-clothed Person is only pierced in the abdomen, not fatal.

He draws the arrow, ready to charge at Ye Liuyun, but the wind of the charging Black Panther startles him; helpless, he draws a dagger and begins fighting the Black Panther.

Liang Xue sees clearly that the Black-clothed Person was originally at True Origin Triple, but now wounded, the cold in his abdomen requires True Qi to resist. So against the Black Panther, he can only barely hold on.

Moreover the Black Panther can spit lightning for attack. Each time struck by lightning, the Black-clothed Person's whole body goes numb, reaction delayed half a beat.

After several rounds, the Black Panther rips off one of his arms.

He knows the situation is lost, so releases a spirit talisman that bursts in the air like fireworks, clearly calling for comrades.

Then the Black Panther slashes him to the ground with a paw, then bites his neck hard. The Black-clothed Person kicks twice, then stops moving.

The Black Panther apparently also sensed the Black-clothed Person had died, just as it was about to release its grip, but Ye Liuyun shoots an arrow that hits its hind leg.

"Don't let the Black Panther escape!" Ye Liuyun calls out to Liang Xue for help, while firing another arrow.

This time the Black Panther spots his position, spews a bolt of lightning that knocks the arrow down, and lunges ferociously at Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun hurriedly sheathes the bow and draws his sword to meet the Black Panther.

Liang Xue also steps in this time. She knows the Black Panther's realm is True Essence First Level, fearing Ye Liuyun may not be its match.

The Black Panther, under their joint assault and sensing Liang Xue's realm higher than its own, decides to flee, so it lunges faster at Ye Liuyun, trying to push him back to create an escape route.

But Ye Liuyun, as if fighting for his life, gives no ground, using the "Opening Heaven" move from the Overlord Blade Technique, clashing with the Black Panther's lightning in a single strike.

He instantly becomes rigid and stands stunned. The Black Panther is also cut by his slash, its head bursts with blood and rolls to the ground, then Liang Xue slashes its neck, decapitating it.

"You're crazy!" Liang Xue, after killing the Black Panther, complains to Ye Liuyun. "What grudge does this Black Panther have with you, why are you fighting it so desperately?"

At this moment Ye Liuyun is still tingling all over from the lightning.

"Beast core! Quickly… retrieve…" he mumbles, asking Liang Xue to fetch the beast core.

Liang Xue takes the beast core and also gathers the Black Panther's corpse.

Ye Liuyun at this point also recovers, takes the beast core and stores it safely.

After a while, Ye Liuyun completely recovered.

"Check out that black-clothed person!" He and Liang Xue went to the black-clothed person's side and began to examine him.

"How did you discover him?" Liang Xue asked curiously.

"By Divine Sense! He has killing intent toward us!" Ye Liuyun gave a brief explanation. He began to search the black-clothed person's body.

But aside from that dagger, he actually found nothing.

"A professional assassin!" Liang Xue exclaimed.

Seeing Ye Liuyun's doubtful gaze, she explained: "Only a professional assassin would be this clean, carrying nothing that could prove their identity."

Only then did Ye Liuyun understand.

"The fireworks that guy just set off were a signal to summon his accomplices. Let's change direction, so we don't get targeted by them!" Liang Xue suggested.